


Whales

by blossombabes



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Bughead fluff, Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Riverdale, Self-Esteem Issues, Swimming, bughead - Freeform, protective!jughead, self concious
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-05
Updated: 2018-06-05
Packaged: 2019-05-18 08:58:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14849759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blossombabes/pseuds/blossombabes
Summary: Even though Betty’s self doubt catches up to her on a swimming date with Jughead, he helps her through it,OrBughead fluff at a pool.





	Whales

Betty looked at herself in the mirror, letting out a sigh. 

She wore a baby pink vintage bathing suit, which matched her pink and white sunglasses. She pulled at her high-waisted bottoms, which covered the majority of her stomach and more of her thighs than the average pair. She wouldn't call herself self conscious, just not particularly fond of putting her body on display for everyone to see. 

She hadn't been swimming in ages, mainly because of the way her thighs looked. But Jughead had looked so intrigued by the new pool that was set to open, she couldn't say no to his invitation. 

Veronica and Archie were coming along, but Betty figured they would spend more time lounging than swimming. She remembered how Jughead told her how much he used to love swimming, but hated doing it alone. Until this summer, he hadn't really had friends (let alone a girlfriend) who would go with him, and this pool was the perfect excuse.

Betty would do anything for him, even wear something that made her feel a little uncomfortable. His face lit up at the simplest things sometimes, but she knew him well enough to know they weren't always so simple.

She knew he had had a rough childhood, and though she had come from a bit of a nuclear family, she knew she could never empathize with him as much as she wanted to. So she humored him; no matter how mundane the activity, she was eager to comply. 

Swimming was a little out of her comfort zone, but Jughead's smiling face as he waited at her door in a pair of swimming trunks and a t-shirt (with his hat of course) was well worth it. 

She had thrown a cover up over her swim suit and had a beach bag over her shoulder. "Ready?" she asked, bringing her sunglasses from atop her blonde tresses to her face. 

He held out his hand for her, which she took. "Ma' lady," he teased, pulling her into his side as she locked her front door. "I love you, Juggie," she reminded softly. 

A smile spread across his face as a heat fell to his cheeks. "I love you, too," he said, sounding rather awestruck. He held her close as they walked to the pool, enjoying lighthearted conversation.

Betty tried her hardest to keep her nails out of her palms, instead focusing on Jughead's childlike excitement. Soon, she was a little excited as well.

Entering the gates of the community pool, they were met with the sight of Archie laying on a reclined beach chair with Veronica straddling him. Jughead rolled his eyes at the intensity of their make out session, even while children were playing nearby. They walked towards the pair and Betty cleared her throat. 

The couple jumped apart, each running a hand through their disheveled hair. "Hey," Archie panted. Betty giggled and leaned her head on Jughead's shoulder.

"You guys ready to swim?" Jughead asked. "I might sunbathe for a while before jumping in," Veronica said, ridding herself of the robe she had worn as a cover up. 

Her bathing suit was a black one-piece with a deep-v neckline and a low-cut back. Betty shifted uncomfortably and adjusted the strap of her top with one hand and clutched a fist in the other.

"What about you, Arch?" Jughead asked, redirecting Betty's attention. Archie shook his head. "I'll join you when Ronnie does, she shouldn't be out here all alone. But I promise I will," he said, draping an arm across the dark haired girl's shoulders. 

Jughead nodded before turning to face Betty. "If you want to sit with them I totally get it-" "And miss swimming with you? No way, Juggie," Betty interrupted. Jughead grinned. "Thanks." 

Betty pulled the white and blue striped romper off of her body, revealing the rather modest suit. She put both the dry clothes and her sunglasses in her bag, which she left with Veronica. Jughead added his shirt to the pile, revealing his softly toned body. 

Jughead sat on the edge and pushed himself into the water, waiting patiently for Betty to do the same. She did, eager to have the majority of her body under the surface. She let out a gasp at the cool water hit her skin. 

Jughead swam around for a bit before coming to stand in front of her. She smiled up at him as he pulled her to his bare chest, his heart beating in her ear. 

"Thank you,Betts," he whispered, pulling back gently. She giggled and nodded. "I would do anything for you, Juggie." 

He felt his heart positively swell at the sentiment. Even though she had been on edge about the whole thing, Jughead's excitement was contagious.

So, filled with joy herself, she happily agreed to play with three young boys who needed a fourth in their game. "I'll be back in a bit, Juggie," she cooed before kissing his cheek and following the boys (who were between 11 and 13) to their corner of the pool. 

Jughead watched her closely, even from where he sat on the edge. He knew that Betty was trusting for a girl who had been through so much, and he also knew how awful little boys sometimes were. He sighed and watched as the scene began to unfold.

"Ok, so what're we playing?" Betty asked. "Well, we're pirates who are rescuing a beautiful princess from a monster," the oldest one explained. Betty "awww"ed at their thought to include her as such a role. 

"What kind of monster is it?" she asked. "It's kind of like a whale, I guess," the youngest said with a shrug.

"So, you just stand there, and you'll know when it's your time to say something," the first boy said before putting his hands on his hips. "Unhand her, you terrible beast," he threatened the creature that was no where in sight. 

"Let her go!" another piped up, using a pool noodle as a sword. It wasn't until the third one came up behind her and almost choked her that she realized they had asked her not to be a princess, but the part of the beast. 

The force of his weight on her back made her lose her balance and her whole body submerged under water. She quickly stood up again and faced the boys, who all clutched their stomach in laughter. "What, the whale can't swim?"

"Listen, the three stooges, is your mother anywhere near here?" Jughead's voice spoke up suddenly. 

"It's fine, Juggie," Betty said, turning away from the boys and to her boyfriend. "No, it's not fine- they have absolutely no right to treat anyone like this, let alone you. " 

He turned back to the boys. "Where are your parents?" The boys, obviously more intimidated by Jughead then by Betty, left the pool entirely. 

"Are you okay?" he asked, placing his hand on her neck. "Yeah," she dismissed, ignoring the lump in her throat and the tears in her waterline.

He gave her a quick, tight squeeze before kissing her palms. Betty closed her eyes as Jughead felt her fresh imprints against his lips. "Why?" he asked, placing both of her hands on either side of his face and holding them against his wet skin.

"I was just nervous about today, Juggie. It's okay, though," she dismissed quickly. 

"Why were you nervous?" he asked, a frown on his face. 

"Just about wearing a bathing suit, and not seeing other people who look like me." 

"You mean other beautiful people?" he asked as his thumb stroked her knuckles. "I mean whales," she sighed. 

Jughead's jaw dropped. "What?" he exclaimed. How could his beautiful girl think she even closely resembled a "whale"? She was perfect, how could she not see that?

He leaned down and connected their lips in a passionate kiss, placing one hand on her neck and the other on her shoulder. Betty was shocked for a moment before she leaned into him, slinking her arms around his neck. 

He pulled back from her, but kept their foreheads together. "Betty, first of all, you're nothing close to a whale. Those fifth graders have brains the size of grapes. Secondly, you're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen, and the fact that you don't see that shocks me. Lastly, Betts, I love you no matter what. I will always love you," he said quietly.

Tears began to slip down her face and Jughead was quick to wipe them away. "I'm sorry, Juggie, I wanted this to be fun for you and I ruined it." 

Jughead laughed, a little humorlessly. "Ruin it? I wouldn't want to be here with anyone else, and that's the truth. The fact that you were so willing to come with me even though you were uncomfortable means the world to me, I can't stress that enough. I just feel bad for what happened."

Betty smiled at him and kissed his cheek. "It's not your fault, Jug. Are you ready to swim?" she asked. Jughead grinned and nodded. "If you are." 

The two began to play pool games, like Marco Polo and tag, before Jughead began to carry Betty on his back as he swam. Betty loved the feeling of his soft skin against her fingertips as she traced patterns on his shoulder. As he paddled them around the shallow side, she leaned down to press a butterfly kiss on his neck. 

"What was that for?" he asked lazily. "Because I love you," she smiled. "You're in luck, Miss Cooper,  because I happen to love you too."

Betty gently crawled off of his back and instead swam beside him. They continued their laps around the pool, ignoring other patrons who may have been splashing particularly close to them. 

Betty's negative thoughts about herself began to dissipate, thanks to Jughead's constant compliments. The fact that someone cared about her enough to take time to build her up made her cheeks rosy and her heart beat a little faster. 

Maybe Betty Cooper wasn't such a whale. After all, if someone as genuinely good as Jughead Jones could love her, how bad could she be?

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed, please leave a comment and/or a kudos. Enjoy your day :)


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